Road sign manufacturer Nordis Signs has begun the installation of almost two thousand temporary road signs to direct cyclists competing in Olympic road-race events around the 250km course and divert other road-users onto alternative routes.
The May-Gurney owned firm will install 1,800 signs along the race course, which passes through London and Surrey, in phases over the next seven weeks.
Nordis Signs has manufactured the temporary signs for the events at its factories in Ringmer, East Sussex and Northampton.
The company with the help of its supply chain partner J. McCann Ltd will install and maintain the signs before and during the Games before removing them again afterwards.
Many of the signs will be attached to existing road-side infrastructure. Nordis will also use more than five hundred A-frames and three thousand sandbags to provide temporary road-side signage.
Steve Wright, Manager of Nordis Signs said: “Our team have worked hard to develop the 1,800 signs for the Olympic road races and we’re proud to be involved in this great sporting celebration.
“Nordis develops road signs for local authorities across the UK and for the Highways Agencies and private companies but this is an unusual project for us and highlights the technical skill and capabilities of our teams in Northamptonshire and Sussex.”
Some of the installation work will take place alongside busy roads including the A30 Dual Carriageway Egham bypass, and Nordis signs have had to employ stringent safety measures.
The company will use special “crash cushions” fitted to the back of their trucks to protect the teams of fitters in the event of any accidental collisions.
Nordis signs will be working in partnership with parent company May Gurney which is working with Surrey County Council to maintain the county’s roads.
May Gurney has carried out thousands of square metres of resurfacing ahead of the events and will conduct traffic management and enforce road closures for the duration.